New Atlanticist

Sharp insights and bold ideas from across the Council

From climate change to the China challenge and the contest between democracy and dictatorship, the New Atlanticist is where top experts and policymakers at the Atlantic Council and beyond offer exclusive insight on the most pressing global challenges—and the US role in addressing them alongside allies and partners.

The Council’s flagship section features big ideas, groundbreaking research, lightning-fast expert reactions, in-depth analyses, and thought-provoking commentary to shape public policy.

Looking Ahead to The London Conference on Cyberspace

New Atlanticist
Mar 6, 2025

How European leaders are responding to Trump’s approach to Ukraine and Europe

From London and Berlin to Paris and Brussels, European leaders have taken several notable steps this week on security. This follows the blow-up between the Ukrainian and US presidents on February 28.

New Atlanticist
Feb 26, 2025

Why the US should not lift sanctions against Russia

By
Charles Lichfield

Sanctions are having an unmistakable effect, albeit below the inflated expectations of many in the West in early 2022. Lifting them now would be a mistake.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions

New Atlanticist
Mar 5, 2025

The Egyptian plan for postwar Gaza is a good starting point—but it needs changes

By
Thomas S. Warrick

While many obstacles remain, the Egyptian proposal could form the starting point for negotiations over a workable plan for postwar Gaza.

Conflict
Crisis Management

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New Atlanticist

Oct 18, 2011

Looking Ahead to The London Conference on Cyberspace

By William Hague

The advent and development of cyberspace is transforming our world and revolutionising our everyday lives. This may become a global challenge and require a global, co-ordinated response. However, until now, the debate around what form this response should take has been fragmented and lacked focus. The UK believes this must change. More international consensus is […]

Cybersecurity Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Oct 17, 2011

Will 3D Printing Change the World?

By Banning Garrett

Transformative technologies are the stuff of history. The steam engine, the light bulb, atomic energy, the microchip—to name a few—unalterably changed our world. Such breakthroughs often take decades from initial invention to changing the way we do things, however. And their potential impact can be nearly unimaginable early in the process. It is doubtful that Tim Berners-Lee […]

New Atlanticist

Oct 17, 2011

Learning from the Echoes of the Past in Afghanistan

By William B. Caldwell IV

Over the next year, the Afghan Army, Air Force, and Afghan National Police will continue to grow and professionalize. This is critical as Afghan infantry kandaks (battalions) replace ISAF combat forces during the transition process. As ISAF combat forces are reduced over the next several years, NATO will increase its efforts to advise and assist […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Oct 17, 2011

Assessing the Hunt for the LRA

By Peter Pham

On Friday, President Barack Obama announced the deployment of about 100 US military personnel to central Africa to assist the armed forces of regional states in putting an end to the decades long rampage of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

New Atlanticist

Oct 14, 2011

BP Pipeline – Late but Good

By Borut Grgic

For years the giant Nabucco project has dominated the debate about building a crucial gas pipeline from the Caspian region to Europe – but a far more modest plan from BP may have all the right ideas.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

New Atlanticist

Oct 14, 2011

Georgia’s Path to the West

By James Joyner

At a time when “Russia has been going backwards, not forwards in democratic reforms,” it is vital that the United States and Europe work together to bolster emerging democracies like Georgia.

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Oct 14, 2011

The Strategic Influence Game 2: China in Space

By Julian Lindley-French

On 29 September at 1316 hours GMT a Long March 2F missile, China’s latest lifter, powered into the sky carrying Tiangong-1, Beijing’s first space laboratory. Shortly, China will launch Shenzhou 8 which is designed to link up with the orbiting laboratory some 350 kilometres above the Earth. Soon the Long March 5 will be in […]

China

New Atlanticist

Oct 13, 2011

The Eurozone’s Original Sin

By Ben Carliner

When the seventeen countries that make up the Eurozone joined the monetary union, they each gave up a very important privilege: the ability to borrow in their own currency. For most members, this seemed at first less a concession than a windfall. Rather than paying a premium over the German benchmark, Eurozone members saw their […]

Economy & Business European Union

New Atlanticist

Oct 13, 2011

Political Acts of Insanity

By Harlan Ullman

One symptom of insanity is repeating the same action and expecting a different outcome. Cynics often accuse the United States of falling into that trap in conducting its foreign policy.

United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Oct 12, 2011

Alleged Iranian Assassination Plot Suspicious

By Barbara Slavin

US Justice Department charges that elements of Iran’s government were behind a foiled plot on the life of Saudi Arabia’s U.S. ambassador have boggled the minds of many Americans knowledgeable about both Iran and terrorism.

Iran

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